


Spites as good a reason as any

by BeStillMySlashyHeart



Series: AK ficlets [8]
Category: Animal Kingdom (TV)
Genre: F/M, Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-10
Updated: 2018-11-10
Packaged: 2019-08-21 17:54:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,498
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16581260
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BeStillMySlashyHeart/pseuds/BeStillMySlashyHeart
Summary: Renn has a secret. No, it's not that she's pregnant - as if that could possibly be a secret at this point. She has a decision to make and she needs a second opinion. But who could possibly be able to help her now?There's really only one man - Adrian. No one else knows the Cody's quite so well.





	Spites as good a reason as any

“Hey Adrian,” a woman’s voice came from behind him.

Adrian turned his head around as far as he could without displacing the board in his lap. He had to put a hand up to shield his eyes from the sun so he could see who had spoken.

“Renn?” He replied. “Hey. What’s up? Been a while.” He couldn’t help but take in her extended belly. Normally he wouldn’t comment on a woman’s body but it was clear she was pregnant. “Congratulations.”

She snorted a little and pushed a piece of hair out of her face. “Thanks. You got a minute?” 

Adrian nodded and moved his board off to the side. He’d finish with it later. “Do you want to sit?” 

She shook her head. “I’m not so good with getting down to the ground these days. Let alone getting up after. Can we find some place with chairs?” 

Adrian stood up and wiped some of the sand off of his hands. He looked around briefly, though he really didn’t need to. He’d come to this beach precisely because it was pretty deserted. There were a couple of other local surfers but the closest business was a few miles away. He gestured over to the cars. “No chairs but if you want to sit in my car...” She nodded and he led the way over. He started to open the passenger door but she opened the trunk first. She had already hopped up on the ledge by the time he made his way around to the back. 

He didn’t say anything at first. She had asked to talk to him so he figured she would start the conversation. Truth be told he wasn’t sure what she could have to talk to him about. They’d never exactly been what you would call friends. They knew each other sure. They both surfed. And they both hung around the Cody’s. They knew each other well enough to say hi when they ran into each other but not enough for her to seek him out. Or at least that’s what he had thought.

Eventually it became obvious that she wasn’t going to talk. “Sooo.” He dragged it out a little too long. “What did you want to talk about?”

“I’m pregnant.” She told him.

He paused. “I uh-I can see that.” 

She shot him a dirty look. “Let me finish asshole.” He waved her on. “It’s Craig’s.”

Adrian was a little taken aback. Last he had heard, Craig had left her on her bathroom floor after an overdose. Not exactly a relationship conducive to getting her pregnant. “Uh”

“He knows I’m pregnant but I told him it wasn’t his.”

“...ok.” Adrian still wasn’t sure where she was going with this or why she was telling him.

She rubbed her belly a little bit. “Lately, I’ve started to think that maybe I should tell him. He deserves to know right?”

Adrian nodded but didn’t say anything.

“But he’s Craig, you know? What the hell does he know about a baby? Could I even trust him around a kid? What if it’s a boy and Smurf gets her hands on him? God what if it’s a girl? Can I really have a baby with a Cody?” She rambled on a bit.

Adrian had to admit; those were all very valid questions. God knows he wouldn’t let Smurf near a kid. Ever. 

“I uh-. Why are you telling me this, Renn?”

She didn’t look at him. “I wanted to get your opinion.”

Adrian scoffed. “My opinion? Why would you want my opinion?”

“Because you’re still there.” Adrian looked away. He didn’t like to think of himself as still being a part of the Cody’s world but since Smurf got him out of jail it’s been harder and harder. “You know that whole shit show better than anyone that’s not a Cody. Do you think Craig could handle having a kid? Do you think he could keep Smurf away?”

Adrian didn’t answer. They both knew he couldn’t. Of all of them, Craig was the one most tied up with Smurf. He had never really learned how to live on his own away from her. Sure there were those few months in Mexico with Renn while Smurf was locked up. But even then he ended up crawling home when things went apeshit. Adrian knew it killed Deran that his brother would never get away from her. For all the distance Deran had tried to place between himself and his mother, his relationship with his brother had kept him tied to her. Because Craig couldn’t get away. And because honestly, for all his talk, Craig didn’t really want to. So there was no way he would leave Smurf for Renn and a baby. Which meant that inevitably, Smurf would get her hands on that kid.

“Renn,” he started to answer. “Do you really think that that could happen?”

She let out a short humorless laugh and shook her head. “No. He’s never gonna get out. And I never used to care. Like it’s his life he can do whatever.”

“But with the baby...” Adrian supplied when she stopped.

“But with the baby,” she agreed, “I just can’t let my kid get dragged into Cody shit. I feel bad. I mean. He deserves to know he has a kid and the kid deserves to know its dad but-”

“You could tell him. And tell him you don’t want Smurf involved. So maybe he has something to work towards. A real reason to try and get out.”

“Yeah, I thought about that. But what are the chances Smurf doesn’t find out? I mean. Look at J and Lena. Julia and Cat both tried so hard to keep their kids away from her and she still got to them. I don’t want that. I don’t want her to ever know.” Adrian wasn’t sure he’d ever seen Renn this animated, this angry. Just the idea of Smurf latching onto her child was enough. Adrian couldn’t imagine what Renn would do if she actually did.  
“Then don’t tell him.” Renn looked up at him. “He won’t keep it from her. He won’t be able to. He’ll try, I’m sure. But he’ll get mad, then get drunk or high or both, and it’ll slip out. I like the guy but you know it as well as I do.” Adrian shrugged. “You want to keep Smurf away? No Cody can ever know.”

Renn nodded. She looked down at her stomach again. “I just- I don’t want to fuck up this kid. And I feel like hiding who its father is gonna be a pretty bad start.”

Adrian moved to sit next to her. “I think you’ll be a great mom, Renn.”

“How do you know that? You don’t know me that well, Adrian.”

“No I don’t. But I think someone who is worried this much about what the best choice is for a kid that’s not even born yet? That’s a good parent. And sure, you’ll probably fuck it up, because who doesn’t, but I also think that you’ll try. You’ll try to do your very best and that’s all anyone can ask.” He nudged her shoulder gently. “And if your very best means doing it on your own? Then you just go ahead and be supermom.”

She smiled gently. “Thanks, Adrian.”

He stood back up and faced her. “And hey, if you ever need a helping hand, just let me know. My sister just had a kid so I’m learning all the ropes.” He chuckled.

He reached out a hand to help her stand up. “Thank you.” 

She reached out and gave him a quick hug. He was too startled to reciprocate before she pulled back. She laughed at the look on his face. “Yeah apparently I’m a hugger now. Who knew?” She turned and started towards her car. Adrian made sure all of his things were out of the way and closed his trunk. When he turned around he was surprised to see her standing a few feet away, looking back at him. He raised an eyebrow in question.

“You know you can’t tell Deran, right?” She said.

Adrian closed his eyes briefly. He did know. He wasn’t kidding when he said that no Cody could ever know about Renn’s baby. He knew that asking Deran to keep that secret from his brother would be cruel. 

He nodded. “I know. And I won’t. I promise.”

She smiled and nodded back at him, finally turning to leave. Adrian watched her go; made sure that she got in her car alright. 

He figured he’d probably be doing a lot of this in the future. Keeping an eye on Renn. It’s funny - half an hour ago, they were barely acquaintances. Now they would be bonded for life by this secret. Adrian smiled to himself, there were worst people to be bound to. And besides, keeping this secret from Smurf might just get him through some family dinners.

**Author's Note:**

> I feel like these two would get along. They are the outsiders in the Cody family. But both might be around for a while so they might as well stick together.
> 
> Title comes from Adrian's final thought. How else would you keep a secret like that from someone who love? Why, to spite his mother of course.


End file.
